right down the line it's been you and me
by qaby
Summary: NB. Post-s3. "I remember when you promised me forever."


**A/N: **Wow, I just barely started shipping these two, and I curse myself for not realizing the _awesome _of their pairing sooner. So I basically rewatched all their episodes and this little one-shot is the fruition of that. Title comes from the song "Faithfully" by Journey, because the song speaks of forever, and this couple truly makes me think of forever as well :)

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She has her finger to her chin in acute consideration with an Eleanor Waldorf original and a Versace number splayed out on her bed when he walks in. Her eyes dart in his direction before she goes back to debating. So far, the scales are tipping in favor of the ivory Versace dress, if only to not have any reminder of her mother.

"Hey Nate."

His eyebrows furrow as he leans against the doorframe.

"Blair? What're you doing here?"

Her lips quirk and she gently carries her mother's design to her closet before turning back to him, absentmindedly tightening her silk robe around herself. "Considering the fact that this _is_ my room, I suggest that you act less surprised, should you ever see me taking up residence."

"Well you're never here, you used to always be with - "

He stops when he sees the avert of her eyes and the downturn of her lips. She fiddles with her fingers and takes an inaudible deep breath before looking up at him and shooting a smile in his direction, and Nate frowns when he sees that it doesn't reach her eyes. Her eyes narrow just _slightly_ as she takes in his messy hair and swollen lips.

"Big date?" she muses.

He shrugs a shoulder as he kicks off his shoes and lays down on her bed, placing an arm behind his head as he relaxes into the egyptian cotton pillowcase. "You could say that." She breathes an unamused chuckle, because she doesn't know the man in her presence. He is an almighty stranger and he's not _Nate_. The Nate she knows would be working his ass off to get Serena back, but he just..._gave up _once he found out he might have Dan as competition. She refrains from shuddering when she thinks that he kind of resembles Chuck in his high school years and moves to her jewelry box, finding some comfort in the expanse of diamonds and pearls staring back up at her. "What about you?"

She trails her finger over her seventeenth birthday present from Chuck and sighs, picking up pearl studs and placing them in her ears. "Cameron's taking me to some generic art ordeal. Nothing of grand importance." She sees him roll his eyes thanks to the mirror, and she purses her lips. "Want to voice your opinion on something, Archibald?"

He smirks and raises his hands in mock surrender before retreating back to his original position, jutting his chin in the dress' direction. "Are you gonna wear that?"

"I was planning on it."

"Wear the ring I gave you," he suggests, and her breath catches in her throat slightly. She looks down at the beautiful gold band with the most gorgeous ruby encrusted in the center and she feels a little melancholy, because she hasn't worn it since senior year, when they broke up last. It signified a promise between them, and she didn't see reason to wear it when she broke that promise. "It'll go with the dress."

"When'd you learn how to be stylish?"

He guffawed. "Please, Blair. I've known you for the majority of my lifespan. Knowing about fashion is a rite of passage."

"I've taught you well."

She delicately places the ring on her finger, admiring the way the red gem glitters when she flutters her fingers, looking at him over her shoulder. He gives her a slight nod in approval, eyes trained on her hand, and something akin to nostalgia settles in her stomach when she reminisces about the multitude of times that he's watched her get ready, offering opinions and compliments as she made her way through her entire closet.

"Be honest. Do you like this guy?"

Her eyebrows crease at his sudden question and she's taken out of her reverie. She swallows as she mulls it over, hating how Nate knew her better than the back of his hand.

"You could say that." He raises an eyebrow and stands, moving in front of her. His eyes are knowing, and she scoffs. "Okay, I'll admit. He's a little...mundane. But then again, who wouldn't be after being compared to a guy who's name translates into throwing a fish?"

Nate laughs heartily, throwing his head back and clutching at his stomach; Blair and her analogies were always something he enjoyed, and he sees that it hasn't changed. She chuckles quietly and he gives her a solemn expression once he calms down, opening his arms in an invitation. She shakes her head as she goes into them, wrapping her arms around his waist, inhaling the faint scent of his cologne and laundry detergent, trying to ignore the old Blair inside her, who's reminding her just how well their bodies mold together.

"It's okay not to be over him, you know."

"I know," she murmurs hesitantly. "But it's not okay for me to still want him back. Not after everything." Her eyes prick with the threat of tears and she focuses on the sound of Nate's heartbeat against the confines of his chest as a way to calm herself down to some degree. She misses him. She misses _them_. Sure, things were far from being easy with them, but it didn't _hurt this much_. "Do you miss it?"

Her tone is vulnerable and scared, and he doesn't have to ask to know what she's referring to. His hold around her tightens and his expression softens imperceptibly. "Sometimes," he admits.

A ghost of a smile dances on her lips. She finds her heart swelling at the fact that he understands where she's coming from, and she can practically feel her self-esteem rising at his admission to missing their relationship. "Really?"

"Really."

"I remember when you promised me forever," she whispers, thinking back to a time when her world revolved around a pair of cerulean eyes and the way he smiled at her whenever he wore the emerald sweater that had her heart pin sewn into the sleeve. She realizes she'd do anything to have that _simplicity _back when she compares it to the line of deceit and betrayal that she's been forced to travel ever since starting a relationship with Chuck. She curls her fingers into the soft material of his Armani sweater and sighs. "I hope you know that I'm going to hold you to that."

"I know."

He smiles down at her when she looks up at him with big brown doe eyes and ruffles her neatly curled hair as he presses his lips to her temple. He buries his nose into her hair, and he's surprised to find that he's not dreading the idea; she still smells of vanilla and peppermint, still smells of the Blair Waldorf from way back when.

Still smells of _forever_.

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**Reviews are love.**


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